October 27

“No.” Feds on $15 million for Northgate pedestrian bridge

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20  comments

Bad news for the pedestrian/bike bridge between North Seattle College and the Northgate light rail station.

The Seattle Times posted a story tonight beginning:

The federal government has decided not to contribute $15 million toward a Northgate Station pedestrian-and-bicycle bridge over Interstate 5. Local taxpayers would need to fund the entire $26 million project themselves.

Nor will Uncle Sam donate $10 million to help Seattle expand the Pronto bicycle network, which currently serves the University District, downtown and places nearby.

The Times story is here.

Earlier posts of ours are here and here.

The Times adds:

Bridge funding still remains within reach.

Sound Transit already approved $5 million, and the Legislature $10 million, along with $5 million already pledged by Seattle. That leaves a gap of $6 million.

If voters pass this fall’s $930 million Move Seattle property-tax levy, the city’s plan would allocate $15 million to Northgate, pushing it past the goal line.

As others have noted, however, that is not a firm commitment from the city.

About the author 

Sara W

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  1. They put up pylons to block using the bike lane to access the right turn at Northgate, blocks traffic up pretty bad. I am not anti bike, but for the few to cost the many so much time, it seems overkill.

  2. I’m a bike commuter and mostly a driver. It’s totally legal and normal to use the bike lane for a right turn. Bikers prefer it too, it’s much more confusing/worse if you stay to the left of it and cut across the bike lane to turn right.

  3. Is it legal to use the bike lane as the right turn lane so that you can get to the corner at Northgate? I dunno. I use it to go west on NE 105th so I don’t impede folks going up the big hill on Roosevelt. Bike lane on 5th NE and Banner really slowed traffic to a crawl there, south bound particularly.

  4. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the path to 92nd. In fact the last meeting for the bridge was at NSCC, and to get to that meeting I walked from our neighborhood across the 92nd bridge and on to campus.
    The idea is to make the total distance from the station much shorter and make it easier to access the station from points west, and that’s what the bridge–seemingly made out of gold bars–would do.

  5. Make sense. Maybe the could make a better pathway up to the 92nd bridge and on the far side a direct path into campus. It seems like that route could be improved for easy walking, biking and ADA access on the cheap and only be an extra 6-8 blocks of travel.

    I too like the Pinehurst/Roosevelt Way changes, I’ve driven it twice and it makes more sense.

  6. I’m not a fan of the price tag either… $26 million could be spent on SO many other things.

    At the open houses, I’ve gathered a few reasons why it’s so expensive:
    It’s BIG. And it has to be big because it has to be a ramp because of the ADA rules. It could be a lot shorter, but then you’d have to do stairs and elevators on either side. Dunno what the cost difference is.

    It’s also tall for proper clearance underneath.

    Because it sits up high and there’s nothing around it, it can become somewhat of a wind block, and combined with other reasons require the use of composite materials… or something like that.

    The Pinehurst/Way Roosevelt Ave area is a compete cluster right now.

    How so? I actually like it better; not having the second lane going up Roosevelt at Northgate Way provides so much more predictability.

  7. Anyone else wondering why a pedestrian bridge costs that much to build?

    In general I’m a huge fan of Sound Transit, they’ve been getting our transportation up to speed for now and the future. The tunnel to the UW is coming under budget and many months early. The train expansion to Northgate and this whole project will grow the area and be great for our local economy and house values, as well as give us a fast ride to the UW, Capitol Hill, downtown, etc.

    But I don’t get the expensive pedestrian bridge. 92nd and Northgate Way are both close, and while a direct route onto the North Seattle Campus would be great, the price seems too high.

  8. Additionally, the past 2 weeks they have put in bike lanes on Roosevelt heading across Northgate Way. The Pinehurst/Way Roosevelt Ave area is a compete cluster right now. You want me to pay for a transit package that delivers this kiind of plan..No thank you. I was honestly behind this Prop 1 until the past couple of weeks.

  9. $26 Million for a pedestrian bridge when there is a underpass at NorthGate Way (109th) & an over pass at 92nd is a complete waste of money. $26 Million are you kidding me

  10. The tunnel, and subsequently redeveloped waterfront, will literally change the face of Seattle for the better for generations to come. Another overpass, not so much.

  11. the 194 to the airport for one

    Yes, and the train is sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Unlike the volitale travel times, Link is at least constant.

    any evening 55 buses to West Seattle (you now have to take RapidRide most of the time, and it’s a longer ride)

    Both of those are Metro and have nothing to do with ST

    they just moved the 77 out of the tunnel

    To make room for more of ST’s trains

    the 5 stopped coming to Northgate

    That was Metro’s decision. No ST route replaced it, Metro route 40 did.

    the Express 15 to 18 to Ballard other than during rush hour

    Metro again. No ST substitution.

    the 7 Express

    Metro again. No ST substitution.

    Route 19, I could go on, but you get my drift.

    Metro again. No ST substitution.

    I think you’re blaming Sound Transit for a lot of decisions that Metro made, and neither one of them have anything to do with Move Seattle or the proposed ped bridge.

    Have you seen the changes for 2016? Some suck (new routing of the 66 and 67) and some are great (26X all day every day, and extended to Northgate).

  12. the 194 to the airport for one

    Yes, and the train is sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Unlike the volitale travel times, Link is at least constant.

    any evening 55 buses to West Seattle (you now have to take RapidRide most of the time, and it’s a longer ride)

    Both of those are Metro and have nothing to do with ST

    they just moved the 77 out of the tunnel

    To make room for more of ST’s trains

    the 5 stopped coming to Northgate

    That was Metro’s decision. No ST route replaced it, Metro route 40 did.

    the Express 15 to 18 to Ballard other than during rush hour

    Metro again. No ST substitution.

    the 7 Express

    Metro again. No ST substitution.

    Route 19, I could go on, but you get my drift.

    Metro again. No ST substitution.

    I think you’re blaming Sound Transit for a lot of decisions that Metro made, and neither one of them have anything to do with Move Seattle or the proposed ped bridge.

    Have you seen the changes for 2016? Some suck (new routing of the 66 and 67) and some are great (26X all day every day, and extended to Northgate).

  13. Yes, we’ve voted for numerous transit measures, but I don’t think people voted for Sound Transit to replace Metro. What routes have they killed? Well, the 194 to the airport for one, any evening 55 buses to West Seattle (you now have to take RapidRide most of the time, and it’s a longer ride), they just moved the 77 out of the tunnel, the 5 stopped coming to Northgate, the Express 15 to 18 to Ballard other than during rush hour, the 7 Express, Route 19, I could go on, but you get my drift.

  14. Sound Transit is doing a terrible job, IMO. They knocked out the local businesses I frequented at Northgate Station, they seem to have a blank check to do what they want, they’ve killed bus routes all over town, and added a half hour to the trip to the airport from downtown. Who put them in charge?

  15. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

    I have always been against the fiasco that is the tunnel. What a crock it is.

    Remember how everyone called McGinn an obstructionist because he opposed it?

    Too bad we didn’t have a few more obstructionists on the city counsel to nix this public nuisance project.

  16. Kill Bertha, rebuild the viaduct in place, and build the pedestrian bridge… We’ll spend less money and have a better system.

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